Collection of photographs of Midhurst and Easebourne residents during lock down to go on sale

Local photographer, Emma Chapman, has been working on a 'lock down project' to bring a sense of community to Midhurst and Easebourne during the isolating days of a nation in quarantine.

Her latest collection of photographs feature some of the townspeople on their own front doorsteps.

Emma, a busy mum of two small children, knew that the demand for her professional services at this time would change dramatically but circumstance did not deter her from getting out her camera and finding a way to capture the mood of her community.

“I had absolutely no idea how many people would be interested in getting involved but have been totally overwhelmed with the love and support 'lock down project' has received!”

Emma who was very careful to follow social distancing rules, taking her subjects’ phone numbers and calling them when she was outside of their houses to avoid close contact.

She did this for over 100 local families, noting the incredible response and the very many kind comments which followed. She was particularly moved to be able to photograph an inter-generational family in four different shoots: 93 year old Faith Gravet, then her daughter, grand- daughter and great granddaughter, each on their own doorsteps.

Driven to play her part to bring the community together while it is apart, Emma was heartened to hear that simply being part of the project has been beneficial for the mental health of some of the participants. “It has been reassuring for them to know that everyone has found this tough in some way,” she relayed, adding, “I hope that people will treasure their images forever as a memento of possibly the weirdest time in their lives”.

Jessica Brown-Fuller, Chair of Madhurst annual Town Festival said: “When we look back at photos of our children’s childhood, there will be a period where there aren’t any smiley faces on swings in the park, pointing at spring lambs on farms, eating ice creams at the beach, cheesy grins hugging our friends at birthday parties and cuddling grandparents

"But thanks to Emma at Memjoa we will have a keepsake photo to remind us that Midhurst families did their bit, we adhered to the rules, protected the NHS; we stayed safe and we stayed at home."

The photographs are due to be sold at MadHurst and plans are in place for them to be published in paperback by local company Middleton Press, with all profits going to NHS charities.

A preview of images can be seen on the Memjoa website and Instagram page.